Honkai: Star Rail Jing Yuan Build Guide | Best Light Cones, Teams and Relics

The next limited 5-Star in Honkai: Star Rail has arrived and it’s the Dozing General, Jing Yuan. Since his first reveal many months ago, Trailblazers the world over have been patiently waiting for the Divine Foresight to become playable. As a 5-Star Lightning Erudition character, Jing Yuan is one of the strongest damage dealers in the entire game, capable of dealing the highest AoE damage while still being the second-highest single target DPS just behind the Seele. He’s an incredible unit brimming with potential and someone you’ll definitely want to build as you go into the later floors of the Memory of Chaos and Simulated Universe.

Here’s how to make the best Jing Yuan build in Honkai: Star Rail. This includes a breakdown of his abilities, what his best Relics and Light Cones are and what teams you should run him in. 

Want more Honkai: Star Rail articles and guides? You can find more here on KeenGamer:

1. Honkai: Star Rail | Simulated Universe World 4 Guide (Easy F2P Clear)
2. Honkai: Star Rail | Simulated Universe World 6 Guide (Easy F2P Clear)
3. Honkai: Star Rail | How to Level Up Fast and the Best Ways to Get Trailblaze EXP
4. Honkai: Star Rail | The Seven Errors of Cycranes Guide (All Missing Cycrane Locations)
5. Honkai: Star Rail | Luminflux Pyxis Day 3 Puzzle Guide

Jing Yuan Upgrade and Ascension Materials

To ascend to higher levels and unlock new Traces, Jing Yuan requires the following materials: 

• Immortal Scionette / Immortal Aeroblossom / Immortal Lumintwig (Enemy Materials)
• Shape Shifter’s Lightning Staff (Stagnant Shadow Material)

The Immortal series of materials come from slain Mara-struck enemies across the Xianzhou Luofu. These can be acquired from any Mara-Struck enemy, even those in the Simulated Universe: Mara-Struck and other Luofu enemies are more likely to appear in Worlds 5 and 6 if you intend to farm them that way. You can also use the Omni-Synthesizer to convert lower-level materials into higher ones or exchange other materials for the ones you need.

As for the Shape Shifter’s Lightning Staff, this material can be acquired from the Stargazer Navalia Stagnant Shadow. This costs 30 Trailblaze Power to undertake and will award more of the material the higher difficulty you play on. The primary enemy of the Stagnant Shadow is the Disciple of Sanctus Medicus: Shape Shifter which is weak to Ice, Wind and Imaginary DMG. 

In addition, for his Traces, Jing Yuan will also need all 3 rarities of the Erudition Keys (Keys of inspiration, Keys of Knowledge and Keys of Wisdom), the Ascension material dedicated to Erudition characters. These can be acquired from the Crimson Calyx in Rivet Town. Each of his major Traces will also need 1 Destroyer’s Final Rod, a material which can be earned by doing the Destruction’s Beginning Echo of War.

The Dozing General

Jing Yuan Skills Breakdown

Basic Attack: Glistening Light

Jing Yuan’s Basic Attack is Glistening Light. Upon cast, this will deal up to 100% of Jing Yuan’s ATK as Lightning DMG on a single target. 

While the damage is nice and good in a pinch, you preferably will never be using Jing Yuan’s Basic ATK. As an Erudition character, he excels in dealing high damage across the entire field and, even if he is doing single-target damage on a boss, you’ll want to use your Skill for additional hits from the Lightning-Lord. Jing Yuan is going to hog your Skill Points, especially if you pair him with Advance Action and SPD characters like Bronya or Tingyun, so focusing on your Basic ATK is not a priority in the slightest. 

The Divine Foresight

Skill: Rifting Zenith

Next up is Jing Yuan’s Skill, Rising Zenith, arguably one of the most important parts of his kit. On cast, this deals Lightning DMG up to 100% of Jing Yuan’s ATK to all enemies. This will also increase the Lightning Lord’s Hits Per Action by 2 for the next round.

The reason why this is such an important part of Jing Yuan’s kit comes from multiple places. Firstly, it is an incredibly strong Erudition skill, one of the few capable of hitting every enemy on the field outside an Ultimate, making Jing Yuan an add killing machine. Secondly, it is your best way to gain stacks for the Lightning Lord: having Skill Points means that you’ll always have at least 2 more stacks on the Lightning Lord no matter what. 

Between the ability to Break and kill enemies across the entire enemy side and consistently gain stacks for Jing Yuan’s Lightning Lord, the highest damage part of his kit, his Skill becomes an invaluable part of his playstyle and should be your primary method of attacking targets. 

Rifting Zenith

Ultimate: Lightbringer

Jing Yuan’s final combat ability is his Ultimate, Lightbringer. This will deal up to 200% of Jing Yuan’s ATK as Lightning DMG to all enemies and increases the Lightning Lord’s Hits Per Action by 3 for the next turn. 

This, in essence, is a suped-up version of Rifting Zenith. It has all the same benefits – high damage across the whole enemy front while building Lightning Lord stacks – while maintaining higher damage output and Action economy thanks to being an Ultimate. All the praises thrown at his Skill should be levied at his Ultimate, as well. 

There simply isn’t much else to be said: Jing Yuan’s Ultimate is incredibly strong, can deal high damage and is the best way to gain stacks on the Lightning Lord. In a single turn, if you’re able to use his Ultimate and his Skill, you’ll easily be earning at least 5 additional stacks for the Lightning Lord, drastically increasing its damage output. 

Lightbringer Ultimate

Talent: Prana Extirpated

Prana Extirpated is Jing Yuan’s Talent and it is where most of his unique flavour and playstyle comes from. This is where the Lightning Lord we’ve mentioned a few times comes from. 

At the start of the battle, Jing Yuan will summon the Lightning Lord. It has 60 Base SPD and 3 Base Hits Per Action (meaning it will do 3 attacks on its turn at base). The Lightning Lord’s attacks are all considered follow-up attacks and deal up to 66% of Jing Yuan’s ATK on every hit to a random enemy, while adjacent enemies receive 25% of this damage. Using Jing Yuan’s abilities can increase the Hits Per Action of the Lightning Lord, increasing how many attacks it does and its SPD by 10 for each stack. All values return to their base value once the Lightning Lord’s turn ends.

This is where Jing Yuan becomes ridiculous. Not only is he capable of dealing high damage with his Skill and Ultimate, but his strongest attack is essentially a 5th party member. If you manage to reach 8 stacks of the Lightning Lord in a single turn, it will be dealing 8 hits in a single turn, all of which chain damage to enemies surrounding the initial target and can deal CRIT DMG. As a result, at high stacks, the Lightning Lord can make Jing Yuan one of the highest damage dealers in the entire game. You don’t even have to keep track of the stacks, either, as they just accumulate as you use your abilities. 

Prana Extirpated is easily Jing Yuan’s best ability, without question, and is what you should your attention to as you level up his Traces. 

pated

Technique: Spirit Invocation

Finally, we have his Technique Spirit Invocation. After using the Technique, the Lightning Lord’s Hits Per Action is increased by 3 for the first turn of battle. 

Jing Yuan’s technique is the only natural way to reach 10 stacks on the Lightning Lord’s Hits Per Action (3 at base, 2 from his Skill, 3 from his Ultimate and 3 from his Technique) without aid from characters like Bronya or Asta. As such, it is worthy of your Technique Points as it allows you to start dealing absurd levels of damage right from the get-go. Try and save at least one use in areas like the Simulated Universe as it can really help you chew through Elites and Bosses.

Jing Yuan’s Technique

Jing Yuan Traces

In terms of Traces, Jing Yuan has some very strong ones which increase his position as one of Honkai: Star Rail’s best attackers significantly. In terms of minor Traces stat increases, Jing Yuan can acquire: 

• CRIT Rate + 12% (2.7 + 4 + 5.3)
• ATK + 28% (4 + 4 + 6 + 6 + 8)
• DEF + 12.5 (5 + 7.5)

Jing Yuan’s Traces

First up is Battalia Crush which unlocks at Ascension Level 2. Once acquired, if the Lightning Lord’s Hits Per Action is greater than or equal to 6 in the next turn, its CRIT DMG increases by 25% for the next turn. This doesn’t need much of an explanation to showcase why it is so good as it simply makes your Lightning Lord deal more damage. As Jing Yuan’s highest source of consistent damage, you want the Lightning Lord to have as much CRIT as possible, making Battalia Crush a top-tier Trace. 

Next up is Jing Yuan’s Ascension Level 4 Trace, Savant Providence. At the start of the battle, this Trace will immediately regenerate 15 Ultimate Energy to Jing Yuan. While a tad more situational than his other Traces, this is still very good. As we previously explained, if you’re able to get off Jing Yuan’s Technique, Skill and Ultimate in the starting turn, you can reach up to 10 stacks on the Lightning Lord’s Hits Per Action, making short work of any enemy still standing. This Trace simply increases the chance of this occurring by making his Ultimate easier to acquire in the first round: it is a bit limited, though, by only being for the start of the battle and nowhere else.

Lastly, War Marshal is Jing Yuan’s Ascension 6 Trace. After using his Skill, Jing Yuan’s CRIT Rate will increase by 10% for 2 turns. Like Battalia Crush, this Trace is rather self-explanatory. Both Jing Yuan and his Lightning Lord use Jing Yuan’s CRIT stats, so increasing it will make them both more likely to deal with very high CRIT DMG. Additionally, this means that you can focus less on CRIT Rate in your Relics and substats, letting you dump more points into CRIT DMG and ATK.

Oh, Lightning Lord

Jing Yuan Trace Priority

If you’re levelling Jing Yuan as you’re ascending Equilibrium Levels, grab every new Trace whenever it becomes available. If you have him at max level and want to know which of his abilities to focus on, the priority order should be:

1. Prana Extirpated (Talent)
2. Rifting Zenith (Skill)
3. Lightbringer (Ultimate)
4. Glistening Light (Basic ATK)

Jing Yuan’s Talent should be the highest priority because of how much damage potential it has and how much of his kit revolves around it: levelling up the Talent directly increases how much damage the Lightning Lord will deal, making it the most important of his abilities. Next is his Skill simply because of how consistently you’ll be using it over his other abilities. You want it to be a strong source of stable damage as you build Lightning Lord stacks. Honestly, though, the only one you should put to the side is his Basic ATK. You will always want to be using your Skill over your Basic in every possible scenario, making it pretty obsolete compared to the other Trace options.

Jing Yuan, the Arbiter General

For Jing Yuan’s Major Traces, the priority order should be:

1. Battalia Crush
2. War Marshal
3. Savant Providence

Battalia Crush and War Marshal can have their positions swapped around depending on how your Jing Yuan is built. If you have more CRIT Rate on him, Battalia Crush should be the priority to allow your Lightning Lord to deal more damage. If you need a bit more help getting your CRIT Rate up, though, focus on War Marshal. Savant Providence is definitely a good Trace but the fact that it is only usable at the start of battle makes it lag behind the other two options. All of Jing Yuan’s Traces are very good and worthy of investing in. 

Collecting Power

Jing Yuan’s Eidolons

Here are Jing Yuan’s Eidlons in Honkai: Star Rail. You can acquire these by summoning multiple copies of Jing Yuan from his Character Event Warp, Swirl of Heavenly Spear.

1. Slash, Seas Split: When Lightning-Lord attacks, the DMG multiplier on enemies adjacent to the target increases by an extra amount equal to 25% of the DMG multiplier against the target enemy. 
2. Swing, Skies Squashed: After Lightning-Lord takes action, DMG caused by Jing Yuan’s Basic ATK, Skill, and Ultimate increases by 20% for 2 turns.
3. Strike, Suns Subdued: Ultimate Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15. Basic ATK Lv. +1, up to a maximum of Lv. 10.
4. Spin, Stars Sieged: For each hit performed by the Lightning-Lord when it takes action, Jing Yuan regenerates 2 Energy.
   
5. Stride, Spoils Seized: Skill Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15. Talent Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15.
6. Sweep, Souls Slain: Each hit performed by the Lightning-Lord when it takes action will make the target enemy Vulnerable. While Vulnerable, enemies receive 12% more DMG until the end of the Lightning-Lord’s current turn, stacking up to 3 times.

Slash, Seas Split

Jing Yuan Best Light Cones

Best in Slot Light Cone: Before Dawn

Undoubtedly Jing Yuan’s best in slot Light Cone is Before Dawn. In short, this isn’t just the best Light Cone for Jing Yuan but the best Erudition Light Cone full stop. It’s a stack stick monster that will raise the damage output of every single Erudition character significantly, and Jing Yuan is one of them who can utilise it best. 

At level 80, Before Dawn grants the wielder 1058 HP, 582 ATK and 363 DEF. The Light Cone’s main effect is called Long Night and it increases the wearer’s CRIT DMG by 36% and Skill and Ultimate DMG by 18%. Additionally, after using a Skill or Ultimate the wearer will gain the Somnus Corpus buff which will be consumed upon using a follow-up attack to increase the follow-up attack’s DMG by 48%. 

Like with the rest of Jing Yuan’s kit, very little needs explaining here. Everything in this Light Cone is built to allow Erudition characters to deal significantly more damage by buffing their CRIT DMG, general damage output and follow-up attacks. Jing Yuan will be constantly using Skills and Ultimates, benefits a lot from having high CRIT DMG and his follow-up attack is the best damage dealer in his arsenal. Before Dawn simply makes Jing Yuan better than he already was, earning it an easy place as his best in slot Light Cone in Honkai: Star Rail.

Before Dawn Light Cone

Jing Yuan Replacement Light Cones

If you don’t happen to have Before Dawn and still want Jing Yuan to pack a serious punch, don’t fret! There are plenty of other good Erudition Light Cones in Honkai: Star Rail for you to use on him.

Before we go any further, the recommendations we are about to give are all 4-Star Light Cones as players are more likely to have these. If you happen to have a 5-Star Erudition Light Cone, such as Night on the Milky Way, give that a go on Jing Yuan before committing to a lower rarity option. In HSR, 4-Star Light Cones are capable of outperforming 5-Star ones, but the massive stat differentiation makes them worth trying out. 

For Jing Yuan, we recommend using The Seriousness of Breakfast, Today is Another Peaceful Day or The Birth of the Self.

The Seriousness of Breakfast

The Seriousness of Breakfast is a F2P Light Cone that can be earned through various means across Honkai Star Rail, but the easiest method of acquisition is to purchase it from the Hall of Memory. At level 80, it provides 846 HP, 476 ATK and 396 DEF with the Light Cone ability Get Ready. This increases the wearer’s DMG by 24% and will increase their ATK by 8% whenever they defeat an enemy, up to 3 times. Jing Yuan is a main DPS and, as an Erudition character, he will be the one slaying out the most. As such, the Light Cones simply makes him more potent and more dangerous the longer a fight drags on.

Next is Today is Another Peaceful Day which can be acquired by hitting level 30 on the Nameless Honour premium track. At level 80 you’ll get 846 HP, 529 ATK and 330 DEF. This Light Cone has the ability A Storm Is Coming which increases the wearer’s DMG by 0.2% for every point on Ultimate Energy they have (up to 160 Energy). As we discussed earlier, getting Jing Yuan’s Ultimate back as soon as possible is a big part of his kit, so you’ll constantly be building high portions of damage as time goes on. Additionally, increasing DMG is more impactful than increasing ATK in HSR, allowing this Light Cone to rise as one of Jing Yuan’s best options for DPS.

Lastly, we have The Birth of the Self which is a Light Cone you can acquire through Warping. At level 80 it provides 952 HP, 476 ATK and 330 DEF. The Light Cone skill, The Maiden in the Painting, increases DMG dealt by the wearer’s follow-up attack by 24%, which increases by another 24% if the target enemy is below or equal to 50% on their HP. The Lightning Lord is Jing Yuan’s biggest damage dealer, so increasing its damage will always be a benefit, especially considering that it can hit the entire enemy line, triggering the second half of the skill quite easily. 

Today is Another Peaceful Day

Best Relics and Planar Ornaments for Jing Yuan

In terms of what Relics and Planar Ornaments Jing Yuan is looking for, he’s pretty simple. As a pure dps character, he values high damage above everything else. 

The best combination of Relics for Jing Yuan is the 4-Piece Band of Sizzling Thunder and the 2-Piece Inert Salsotto. This combination will give Jing Yuan 10% more Lightning DMG and a 20% increase to his ATK for 1 round when he uses his Skill thanks to the 4-Piece set. Meanwhile, the 2-Piece set will increase his CRIT Rate by 8% and increase his Ultimate and follow-up attack DMG by 15%, should you reach a CRIT Rate stat of 50% or higher.

Recommended Relics

Everything here is built to make Jing Yuan hit harder without needing to juggle too many effects. The Lightning DMG and ATK bonus both meaningfully increase his damage output without needing to rely on outside buffs, whereas the Planar Ornament bonus lets you focus more on stats like CRIT DMG and ATK when building your Relics. Reaching that 50% CRIT Rate is very important but between the CRIT Rate buffs from his Traces and the stats on your Relics, you should meet that quota with little difficulty. 

If you’re struggling to find pieces from either of these sets, substitutes include the Musketeer of Wild Wheat Relic set and the Space Sealing Station Planar Ornament set. 2-Piece Musketeer and 2-Piece Thunder will give Jing Yuan a 10% ATK boost while retaining his 10 Lightning DMG boost, whereas the Sealing Station buff will further increase his ATK by 12% at the base. 

Band of Sizzling Thunder and Inert Salsotto

Most Important Stats and Substats

Here are the recommended main stats for Jing Yuan’s Relics in Honkai: Star Rail: 

• Body: CRIT DMG
• Feet: ATK%
• Planar Sphere: Lightning DMG Boost
• Link Rope: ATK% or Energy Regeneration Rate

Meanwhile, the substats you want on your Relics for Jing Yuan are:

1. CRIT DMG
2. CRIT Rate
3. ATK%

A Master and His Pupil

Best Teams for Jing Yuan

Premium Team

The premium team you should be eying for Jing Yuan will include supporters that allow him to deal more damage while keeping the heat off him, whether through healing or shields. As such, the recommended premium team for Jing Yuan in Honkai: Star Rail consists of Jing Yuan, Bronya, Tingyun and Bailu (or Natasha). 

Bronya and Tingyun share the role of support in this team, both acting as excellent ways to increase Jing Yuan’s raw damage or get his Lightning Lord stacks more consistently. Starting with Bronya, she’s a powerhouse in her own right and will the team access to Wind for any Weakness Break needs. The main reason to pick her, though, is her excellent Skill, Combat Redeployment, which will let you Advance Forward Jing Yuan’s turn, potentially letting him get off another Skill in a single round to add even more stacks to his Lightning Lord (allowing it to surpass 10 Hits Per Action). Her Ultimate is also a great ATK and CRIT DMG boost, good for any DPS.

Tingyun is the Best Support

Then we have Tingyun. With her Skill, Soothing Melody, she can also buff Jing Yuan’s ATK and SPD for 3 turns. Where things become interesting is her Ultimate, Amidst the Rejoicing Clouds, as it will give Jing Yuan half of his Ultimate back on cast. Like with Bronya, this allows you to get Ultimates at a more consistent pace, letting you accumulate more stacks of Lightning Lord and deal more damage every round. Tingyun feels purpose-built for aiding Jing Yuan and you should use her with him if you have her.

Finally, we have the healer of the team. We’ve put Bailu because she’s a stronger healer overall, one who’s capable of healing back any damage dealt right away using Invigoration. Honestly, though, Natasha works perfectly fine and may even be better in some circumstances considering that she has a cleanse on her Skill, a much higher instant heal on her Ultimate and access to Physical for Break purposes. The choice is up to you but you will need a healer or shielder of some sort to keep Jing Yuan alive and kicking. 

Premium Jing Yuan Team

F2P Team

If you’re low on Stellar Jade and need to make a Jing Yuan team without many fancy other 5-Stars, this next team has you covered. While it lacks the direct buffing power of the premium team, it does have more of a focus on SPD buffing with ATK buffs on the side: it also has more Weakness coverage and survivability, too. The F2P team we recommend for Jing Yuan includes Jing Yuan himself, Asta, Natasha and the Preservation Trailblazer.

Asta is our stand-in for Tingyun and Bronya: if you happen to have Tingyun, we still recommend using her over Asta (or perhaps alongside her). With her Talent, Asta can provide a meaningful ATK buff to the entire team while still having good damage on her own. Additionally, her Ultimate will boost SPD considerably, allowing Jing Yuan more chances and opportunities to outspeed the enemies and potentially get additional rounds to act. 

Asta ATK Buffer

Next, we have the Preservation Trailblazer (or Fire MC). They’ll be serving as this team’s tank and the main way to keep the heat off of Jing Yuan. Their Skill provides shields which, while small, will certainly help against any AoE attacks that come your way. That same Skill will also induce taunt, drawing attention away from not only Jing Yuan but also Asta and Natasha, two more characters who are far squishier than the Trailblazer. While they can deal a considerable amount of damage, their main purpose here is utility and they do it excellently.

Finally, we have Natasha again. She serves the same role here as she or Bailu did in the premium team. Natasha is an excellent healer and will be the main way your team stays alive in harder content like the Simulated Universe or Halls of Memory. Not much else to be said here, having a healer is just recommended.

F2P Jing Yuan Team

That was how to build Jing Yuan in Honkai: Star Rail.